A/U. Kharl, successful business CEO, lives peacefully with his, er, housekeeper Garfakcy. However, when he is seduced by a local highschooler named Rath, their life takes a sickening turn for the worse.
Notes: NO I'M NOT INSANE DAMMIT STOP ASKING ME! O! ... *Sneezes* So anyways, since this is an alternate universe, don't expect it to be EXACTLY like our modern-day world. Mostly pretty the same, but some weird stuff like a caste system of source and CEO Kharl-sama's weird...erm, hobby. _;
Everlasting
Chapter One: For ever
"Garfakcy, I'm home!"
The door to the posh upper-complex apartment slammed forcefully shut. A tall, white-haired man walked in, shedding his formal jacket as he entered. He threw it onto a coat rack in a slipshod manner. The spindly wooden structure rocked back for a split second, almost fell, and then steadied itself. Glancing around and seeing no one, the man unknotted his tie and flung it half-heartedly after the jacket. It fluttered, fell short, and flopped limply to the ground. Sighing, he leaned back onto a futon couch and ran a hand through his feathery hair.
"Kharl-sama, is that you?" The voice, high, clear, and childish, wafted around the corner, soon followed by its owner. Expertly balancing an ebony tea tray with pot and cups neatly arranged upon, a short boy dressed in crisp black and white that matched the room's décor hurried forward.
Kharl smiled wanly as Garfakcy set out the tea things on the coffee table before him. "Who else would it be?"
The boy paused briefly in his work to give his master a quick once-over. "You seem tired, Kharl-sama...are you ok?"
"Fine, fine. It's only those business associates of mine again...stupid fools always grumbling about money, money, and more money..."
Having finished with his work, Garfakcy sat on the black-matted floor across from Kharl. "What, have the stocks gone down again?"
"Nothing like that." Kharl blew on his tea, sipped, and closed his eyes wearily. "Just them being them again...babbling on about my 'worthless experiments'. They said I shouldn't be wasting time and money on that. I should 'concentrate on profits for the company'," he finished acidly.
"You're not...starting those experiments again?"
"..." He scrutinized Garfakcy carefully, but the boy's face was studiously impassive and unreadable. Garfakcy had never before expressed an opinion to the experiments, though the boy had been directly affected by one. Kharl sipped the cooling tea again. "Perhaps."
"And they don't understand." It was more of a statement than a question.
"Naturally. When have they ever?" When has anyone ever? Kharl added silently. He glanced down at Garfakcy, silently drinking his own tea with a strangely thoughtful expression on his youthful face.
Not even Garfakcy. But his servant did understand him better than anyone else...though not perfectly.
Perfection. Kharl turned the word over in his mind, savoring it. Perfection...what did those money-grubbing idiots know about it? His company, Renkin Corp., his work, inventing medicines...he didn't care for them at all. They were simply for show, a false face to turn to the rest of the world. What he truly strived for...was perfection. Not for himself, but to be able to create a perfect living creature...that was his dream.
Kharl's wandering gaze fell upon Garfakcy again, and he looked upon his servant with the old mixture of fondness, appreciation, and guilt.
Lazarus 2. How many years ago now...9? 10? The failure of the first batch had put Kharl off, but only for a short period of time. He'd had something here, something he'd been sure would work. And all he needed was someone to test it on.
And so he had offered money—for that was what made this crumbling world run—and he'd gotten results. To be specific, a young 13-year old from the Servants' Union.
Servants' Union, they call it. Bullshit. None of those people would be there if they help it.
However morally wrong it had been, he'd been too eager to pass up the chance...what's more, the green-eyed boy with the tough, belligerent attitude had piqued his interest. The swagger in his walk, the aggressive speech...Kharl had sensed something under it.
He had commanded the boy to take the pill, and had watched him do it...
"Kharl-sama?"
Garfakcy's voice brought him back to the present, and he smiled absently. "Yes?" He looked over at his servant, at the boyish body that would never age.
"Are you finished?" Garfakcy pointed to the now-cold cup of tea sitting before Kharl.
"Oh yes...yes...take it to the kitchen..." Kharl handed the delicate china piece to Garfakcy, feeling a new surge of guilt wash over him. Lazarus 2. Failure number two. And here he was trying for a third time...
But it wasn't that bad, was it? he reminded himself. The second time, at least, things had worked out.
"I'll never...grow?"
"Yes. I'm sorry."
"...I see. Goodbye."
"Wait...Garfakcy, was it? I'm sorry, really I am, and—well, you're welcome to come stay with me if you want. As a servant. I'll pay you well for it."
"As you wish, Kharl-sama."
"As you wish, Kharl-sama." Rolling up the sleeves of his uniform, Garfakcy piled the empty cups and pot back onto the tea tray. Noticing his master's eyes on him, he offered an innocent, quizzical smile. A child's smile.
A child... Kharl shook his head. Not a child, not after so many years had passed...not a child when he'd already accepted him as his lover.
"But he'll always look like a child, won't he?" Kharl pushed himself up, murmuring thoughtfully. "Always a child, for ever and ever, youth..."
"...Everlasting." Garfakcy appeared in the doorway again, grinning at the familiar phrase. Kharl smiled back, standing. "Garfakcy, I'll be back late tonight. I have a meeting." He gathered up his papers. "Where's my briefcase?"
Garfakcy sighed. He bent over to the haphazard pile of old statistical graphs and market report and rummaged through them. Kharl sweatdropped and smiled nervously as Garfakcy withdrew his briefcase from the center of the stack. "You should really be more organized, Kharl-sama."
"You've told me before, remember?" Kharl took the proferred briefcase and sped out the door.
*****
Hurrying down the steps of the tall, square-topped building, Kharl tripped and caught himself barely in time, cursing under his breath. Not seeing any taxis nearby, he gave the street a cursory glance and crossed. A small scraggle of high school students passed by him, giggling and laughter carried to him by the cool breeze. Behind them lagged another student, a tall, slump-shouldered youth with an unusual white streak in his dark hair. He looked up, and for a brief instant red eyes met silvery purple ones. The teenager smiled, cocked his head, and walked onwards.
Yet more students jostled by on the sidewalk, giving Kharl curious glances as he stood unmoving in the middle of the street. He felt...strange. Different. As that boy's gaze had pierced him, Kharl felt he had been...
...understood.
Someone who could truly understand him... Kharl glanced around, saw the dark-haired figure becoming steadily smaller in the distance, and then grabbed desperately at a passing student.
"Oi...!" the orange-haired teenager yelped as Kharl took ahold of his school uniform. "What are you—"
"Who is that?" Completely ignoring the schoolboy's question, Kharl pointed.
The other's eyes followed his finger, and his voice iced over. "That? That's Rath...Iryuuzaa Rath."
"Rath." Kharl repeated the word. A good name. Come to think of it, an unusual name. "...Is that not a name of the Servants' Union?"
"Yeah, sure."
"But their members don't attend school...!"
The highschooler shrugged. "Rath does. And a hella lot of good it does him too...he doesn't try at all. Waste of time." Seeing Kharl's confused look, he added, "His parents were both servants, but rumor is they saved up enough money to put Rath in school, then died. I pity them for having a son like that..."
Kharl thought carefully for a moment, not listening to the boy's words. Rath. He'd need to come and learn more later.
"...and he's dangerous," Kharl's companion was finishing in the background. He gazed thoughtfully at him. "Hey, why are you so interested in Rath anyways? I wouldn't get close to him, if I were you. He's...done things." The boy's face was shaded by his orange hair, but Kharl could detect an angry glimmer in his eyes.
"Interesting..." he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. Then, abruptly, "And who are you?"
"Tamokan Viaresu." Viaresu smiled oddly. "If you're so set on talking to Rath, you might try mentioning me to him. It could prove...'interesting'." Nodding to Kharl, he caught up to his friends without a look back.
Rath. Slowly, Kharl picked up his briefcase, started to signal to a taxi, and then hesitated. He slowly lowered his arm. He would walk home tonight. He needed the time to think.
End Chapter One
Notes: Meh..._; I dunno what's gonna happen, but it's definitely gonna have shounen-ai and good stuff in it. x3 Kharl/Gar/Rath galore~ Oh and for those of you who aren't familiar with my oddity, Viaresu=Bierrez. xD This is my first fic NOT centered around Viaresu, but you can bet there's gonna be a lot of him in here anyways...